I have met countless people in my 11 years in the U.S. Air Force. Some influenced me greatly. Some were quite forgettable. People often talk about how relationships are one of the most important things in life. After all, little matters more than the people in our lives. Half a world away, I learned some valuable lessons about relationships...
In 2008, I found myself in heavily armed in a combat zone on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. I was sent to the Kabul Military Training Center as a "mentor". My job was to train Afghan doctors and medics. Our mission was to perform physicals on every Afghan National Army recruit in the entire country. I decided early on to get to know the Afghans as much as I could. My parents taught me to accept all people and treat everyone with respect. This principle was crucile for me to have a successful mission in Afghanistan.
I worked closely with 6 Afghan doctors and 5 Afghan medics. Over the course of weeks to months, we all got to know one another quite a bit. We would talk about our personal lives. We would talk about the war. We would talk about religion. Almost no subject was taboo. It was refreshing. There was one doctor in particular that I became great friends with, Dr. Yama. He is about my age and has an engaging personality. He is extremely intelligent. He speaks good English which made it easy for us to talk. Yama comes from a family of 9 kids. He lives in Kabul and attended the Kabul Medical University. When I met him in 2008, he was single. Now he is married with one child. Yama is funny, articulate, compassionate, and hard working. He is one of the best people that I know in this world.
On 31 October 2008, I left the Kabul Military Training Center for the last time and began an 8 day journey back to the United States (military travel is measured in days not hours). The previous day I said goodbye to Yama. A group of children surrounded him as he walked away towards Jalalabad Road, a main artery of Kabul. Yama looked at the kids and proclaimed, "This is the future of Afghanistan." I doubted that I would ever see Yama again. We emailed several times that year but quickly lost touch with one another. Then, in the fall of 2010 Yama sent me a message stating that he was in Germany on a scholarship through the Afghan government. He was there studying German. If he learned the language well and passed many examinations, then he would get to work in a German hospital for one year of training. I was astounded. It was quite rare for any Afghan to leave their country. They have few resources and are still a third world nation. Upon hearing of Yama's good fortune to be in Germany, I vowed to visit him. This was my opportunity to see my good friend once again!
Several weeks ago, this wish became true. I travelled to Europe for a vacation along with my good friend Mona. We spent 5 days touring Bavaria (you must go there in your lifetime). Then, we rented a car and headed north to the town of Naumburg. We spent 5 hours speeding along the Autobahn which was a crazy experience. We drove through beautiful green pastures covered with scores of windmills. Eventually, we made it to Naumburg and pulled up to the school that Yama was now calling home. We spotted Yama waiting for us in front of his school. It was awesome to see him again. He invited us in, showed us around the school, and then invited us into his living quarters. True to the wonderful hospitality I had experienced from Afghans on deployment, Yama had a spread of fresh fruit and pastries waiting for us. We spent the night getting caught up and laughing about all sorts of things. And, we decided that the next day we would take an impromptu trip to Berlin.
We set off early on Saturday morning and drove several hours into the the heart of Berlin. Thanks to a GPS device expertly run by Mona (I had never used one before), we made our way to the only remaining section of the Berlin Wall. At one time, this wall spanned 150 kilometers. Now only a few hundred meters of wall is still standing. We took a slew of pictures up against this symbol of the cold war. Next, we went exploring the great city of Berlin. We found a beautiful park in the middle of Berlin. After walking through the park, we toured a monument to Russian troops killed in Berlin in World War II. Quite ironic for 2 Americans and an Afghan to be looking around a Russian monument! We stumbled upon the German Parliament. There was an interesting peaceful protest going on outside the building. It looked like a war protest perhaps. Nope, it was a group of people marching for the rights of dogs! Then, at the Brandenburg Gate (crossed by Napoleon and his forces in 1806) we watched some highly entertaining street performers. The scene was electric in this busy part of Berlin. As we headed back to our car, we made our way to an interesting city block that Mona noticed on the drive into Berlin. It was a collection of cement blocks of different sizes set up in perfect rows taking up a vast area. We did not know what it was at first. Then, we discovered that it was a holocaust memorial. We toured it which was a sobering experience to say the least. It was a fitting end to a memorable day in Berlin. We headed back to Naumburg to drop of Yama.
My life is greatly enriched for knowing Dr. Yama. We met in a war zone. Both of us have worked at large military hospitals and have seen the worst casualties you ever want to imagine. We grew up half a world apart, but somehow I think our upbringings were not that much different. His family is extremely important to him. He speaks highly of his 8 siblings. And, I know the importance of my 5 siblings in my life. Yama has an amazing spirit inside him. We were brought together in some unlikely circumstances. After spending an amazing day with Yama in Germany, it is absolutely clear to me that some bonds are never broken!
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